This time of year can be tough to hunt as the herd transitions from the seemingly patternless chaos of the rut to a more regular and predictable feeding pattern.
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| "TallBoy" as featured on trailcamtrophies.com (linked on the right) proof that post-rut big deer are still on the hoof. |
Mature deer are re-focusing their habits around food and building up good mass to survive the winter. One thing I have noticed over the years, I still see several “strange” and large bucks on my trail cameras right up until Shotgun Season. I suspect post-rutting big bucks are more cautious about daylight movement, but also maintain that expanded home-range from rut. Big deer this week will still be checking various herds to make sure does have been bred, grabbing a bite to eat and then moving on. The ‘regulars’ in your area will also begin to return and overall deer activity should be above normal so your chances of seeing a brute this week are still very good.
Unfortunately for holiday hunters, the temperatures will also be above normal later this week. Although it will be very enjoyable weather to sit, this is likely going to adversely affect hunting conditions. Movement when the temperature is over 50 degrees is limited and mostly at night. One way you can combat this is to target cool geographic locations on your property. When it’s warm, target west facing slopes in the morning and east facing slopes in the afternoon and north facing slopes for an all day outing. These areas stay in the shade longer and should see daylight activity longer. Creek and river valleys near the lowest topography around will also be good choices, especially if the winds are under 15 mph. Cold air will pool here and furry critters with a full winter coat will be more comfortable moving about.
Next, I’ll blog about the November Antlerless season and later this week I’ve got a long range forecast for shotgun hunters.
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